AUBURN, Ala. – The UNCG men’s golf team turned in a solid first round of the 2014 NCAA Regional Thursday, posting a 10-over par 298 in windy conditions to sit in seventh place overall in the 54-hole event at the Auburn University Club. The top five teams in the regional will advance to the NCAA Championships. Round two of the three-day, 54-hole event will be held Friday with the Spartans set for tee times between 8:00-8:40 a.m. on hole No. 10.

Defending national champion and current No. 1 Alabama owns the 18-hole lead after recording a 1-under par 287 as the only team under par on day one. No. 13 Texas is second with a 5-over par 293 and host No. 23 Auburn is 6-over at 294. Rounding out the top five is No. 48 Colorado at 296 while No. 37 Kennesaw State and No. 49 Louisville are tied for fourth at 297. The Spartans are just one shot out of the top five and only four shots out of second place.

Sophomore Taylor Coalson (Dobson, N.C./North Surry) led the Spartans on day one with a 1-under par 71. Coalson is tied for fourth overall in the individual standings, just two shots off first round leader Robin Sciot-Siegrist at 3-under par 69. He is just one of 10 golfers that posted an under par score Thursday as he posted five birdies on the day to go along with his four bogeys.

Junior Roy Dixon (Salisbury, N.C./Salisbury) is tied for 11th overall after carding an even-par 72. Dixon was consistent all day long with 12 par scores to go along with his three birdies and three bogeys. Dixon opened with birdies in two of the first four holes before moving over par with three bogeys. He got back to even with a strong birdie on his 17th hole, the par-3 hole No. 8.

Freshman Carter Jenkins (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road) was third on the day with a 5-over 77. Jenkins was just 1-over par through the first 13 holes before dropping four strokes on the final five holes. Sophomore Luke Haithcock (Burlington, N.C./Williams) notched a 6-over par 78 while freshman Jake McGlone (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) rounded out the lineup with a 7-over par 79.

The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals. The finals will be conducted May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas with Wichita State acting as the host institution.